Samsung to file suit to ban sale of iPhone 5, report says

PATENT WAR:Samsung did not say whether it would seek a sales ban internationally or only in South Korea, where Apple is expected to start selling the iPhone 5 next month

AFP, SEOUL

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics will file lawsuits to try to block the sale of Apple’s iPhone 5 as part of its global legal tussle with the US technology giant, the Maeil Business Newspaper said yesterday.

The two firms are at loggerheads in a series of patent lawsuits over the technology and design of their smartphones and tablet computers.

The report cited a Samsung official as saying the firm would “strategically” launch the legal actions as Apple was expected to start selling the much-anticipated smartphone next month.

“We have not yet decided whether to launch the suits in South Korea or in a third country,” the unidentified official was quoted as saying.

It was unclear whether Samsung would seek a sales ban only in South Korea or internationally.

A Samsung Electronics spokesman declined to comment.

Apple has accused Samsung of “slavishly” copying the technology and designs of its market-leading iPhone and iPad. It has filed complaints in countries, including Germany and Australia, seeking a ban on sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab.